


A Fractured Soul

by Fluffylittlespider



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Aging, Alcohol too I guess, Angst? What's angst? Oh hey have some Angst in your Angst., Annoying dogs at that., Author is bad at updates., Bad puns., F/F, I'm rather mean to my protagonist. :(, Now with 137 Percent more dogs., Other, Possession, Pre-War Stuffs, Rated Mature cause I'm probably overly cautious., Resets, Science, Time Shenanigans, Uh I can add more of these later right?, Wait you can't change tag order?, sorry.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2017-03-16
Packaged: 2018-07-14 05:11:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7154939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluffylittlespider/pseuds/Fluffylittlespider
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You think I enjoy this, Sans? You think I WANT to relive the same few days over and over again for the rest of my life? You think I LIKE being dragged through the Underground without any control over my body and having to watch as I kill all of you? At least you sometimes forget. Cause it sure as hell doesn't let me forget anything."</p><p>In which Frisk fell to the Underground as a child. They made their way through with impressive amounts of determination, befriending every monster they came across, ultimately leading them to freedom. Then time reset. No matter what they does it always resets, and with each reset their hopes of ever freeing their friends and escaping the Underground with them dwindle. Will they ever be able to leave? And speaking of leaving, why won't a small white dog leave her alone? </p><p>(Previously titled Fractured, this is kinda a re-write though so I'm putting it as a separate story, hope that's ok!)</p><p>This was on Hiatus for ages as I lost a laptop with all of my stuff on and ended up super busy with rl and blah blah. Updates will be sporadic at best but I'm DETERMINED to finish.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue- Afterath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so we begin. 
> 
> Should I mention this is going to have plot spoilers for the game UNDERTALE? That's kind of a given if you're reading Fanfiction of it right?
> 
> Either way, I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> x Spider

_A long, long time ago, two races ruled over the world, humans and monsters._

_Combining their strengths and working together with magic and ingenuity,_

_They created a golden age of peace and knowledge, happiness and wonder._

_However, this idyllic harmony was not to last and through jealousy, greed and lust for power,_

_A war broke out, once fertile lands were laid barren, great cities destroyed._

_As the powerful beings continued to clash, scarring and burning and leaving nothing but ash,_

_the world seemed to be further and further beyond repair._

_Casualties grew to insurmountable numbers, until, in one last desperate attempt,_

_a council of the remaining mages gathered._

_To make an ultimate sacrifice, because something, anything had to be done..._

\---

Pró̖͕ͅlo̡̭͚̣g̨ͯ̒ͦ͋̚̚̚u͜e̫̝̲͈͞ - Aftermath

\---

 

The war had ended. Monsters, suffering defeat, were sealed deep within the bowels of Mt Ebott. A vast, cavernous system that snaked underneath mountains and glaciers had become their prison. Preventing them from reaching the surface and escaping their prison was a magical barrier cast by seven ancient human mages. Try as they might, they were unable to break the spell and free themselves from the Underground, and with time the monsters began to lose hope of reaching the surface. Settlements began to spring up, and life began to gain some form of routine again, for Monsters were long-lived and patient creatures. If they were unable to break the barrier they would wait as most things, even magic, died with time.

 

Humans however, had far shorter life spans and even shorter memories. On the surface, absurdities such as magic and monsters began to fade from the memories of humans, becoming fairy tales and legends, folk lore and stories to scare future generations into behaving. The lush lands around Mt Ebott became enticing again, and the expanding settlements of the humans grew closer and closer, the danger of what lay beneath forgotten.

 

Things changed when a human child somehow fell into the Underground. They were found by prince Asriel of the royal family, and became their adopted sibling and closest friend. Children were rare occurrences between monsters, and regardless of their feelings towards humans, no monster would hurt a child. In fact, after a while, the child’s kind heart and gentle nature began to change monster’s perceptions. Perhaps not all humans were cruel and hateful, maybe there was still a chance they would see mercy and an end to their imprisonment, as surely someone had to be missing a child. Hope began to blossom once again.

 

But no one came.

 

They waited weeks, then months. There were no search parties, no contact, just silence. The child never talked about the surface, and the royal family felt it would be unkind to press them on the subject. The months turned into years and, normalcy resumed. The child grew, as humans do, and they were not far from adulthood when the tragedy hit. The child became ill, incurable by any magic the monsters possessed and after a long spell of dwindling health they passed away. Stricken with grief and loss of their sibling Asriel committed a sin of his people, one of the greatest secrets and taboos of monster-kind. He took the human’s soul into his own, becoming a hugely powerful being. Single-mindedly, he gathered his sibling’s body and strode through the underground, using their combined power to cross the barrier, set on fulfilling their final wish, to see the surface again.

 

Unaccustomed to the appearance of a monster, the humans he encountered attacked him on sight, using whatever they had on hand. Asriel did not fight back, but realising he was far from welcome upon the surface he turned and fled. With sorrow in his heart, and a wounded body, he returned to the mountain, his broken heart shattered with his soul, and his dust scattering the throne room. The remains of the royal family were crippled with loss. Darkness befell the Underground. In a fit of rage and despair the king declared war upon the humans again, vowing to kill any who entered the underground and use their souls to break the barrier. The queen disappeared, never to be seen again.

 

Over time more humans fell, six in total and, inexplicably, they were all children. This may have saved them before but now monster-kind was at war. By accident or by the hand of a monster, none made it through the Underground to the barrier alive. Their souls were collected and stored and studied, in the hopes they would reveal the key to their escape. One more child was needed, one more soul, for if seven were used for the making of the barrier, surely seven could be used in the breaking of it. So, in the darkness, the monsters waited, until another child fell. A child who would one way or another be the saviour of the Underground. Nothing ever happens as planned, however.

 

 

Things got ve͠ry͠, v̛͉̖̰̱͟e̷̸͇̮͕̤̰͈͜r̺̻̪̖͖͚̙̪y͉͙̠͕̖͝ i̵̵̴̫̪̣̊̀͑͋̊̎ͣͣ̓ͨ̈́̓̈̿̅ͤͨ͋͘͜ň̢̛̲̘̣͙̝̉͆̅̆̽͌̾ͩ̈͑͢͟ẗ̵̺͎̩̳̹̜̗̜̳͇̳͈́̾ͫͣ̈̿ͯͯ̑͛ͫ̿͋̄̆ͬ͆͐ͅe̶̬͔̜̼̪̜̼͙͈̭̘͈͙̘̭̥͕͋͆ͨ͌̀̇̿̿͆̀r̾̋̋̑͗̉̀͛͏̢̼̻͙͕͍͎͔͔͔͙̖̜͔͉̳̗̭͡e̶̷̖̞̞̖̼̱̣̣̱̱̦̫͚͉̟͑̐͊̂͌́̃̍̔͊ͬͩͫ͠s̷͍̳̝̗̘̭̯̠͉͖̟̙͓̠̫̫͈̝̿͗̉̅́͡t̡̡̢̃͗̾̉͡҉̪̮̻̠̥̙͉͎͈̮͎̲̘̩i͙̬̫̥̲̥̟͙̱͙̗͔̮͉̿̄͋̏̏̂̅̄͛̉̒̍̋͜͠n̷̴̬̹̟̻̠̙̘͇̪͓̳̠̗̬̲̻̺͂̃̅̅ͦ̔͛ͦͫ̆̽̾̓̆̍͗̚͝ͅͅg̡̞͎̙̻̻̞͓͔̘̲̠̣̺̻ͬͭ̐͐ͩ͊̓͐ͧͨ̿͑̋͊͆̚͘̕͞...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A prologue? What's that doing here. 
> 
> In the future I may give an inkling of who's point of view we're reading from but for some reason I can't remember who this is. Strange.
> 
> One of the things I was super dissatisfied in my original drafts was that I never really took the time to describe and develop the main characters as I've written them out. (oboi do I have draft pages of that or what.) Or you know the story this was based on, so I hope a brief retelling of relevant parts isn't too boring for people! We're going to be seeing a lot of the Underground and I would like to try and do it justice.
> 
> Additionally I'm going to try and go for shorter chapters, initially I was going for about 2000 words per chapter but it's difficult to sit and write quite that much, I'm hoping with smaller chunks to write per chapter I can be more motivated to finish things I have left. Manageable, you know?
> 
> Cheers for sticking with me. 
> 
> x Gratefullittlespider


	2. The Last to Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Name the fallen child?

The Last to Fall

\---

The dog shuffled its paws, huffing unhappily at the sight before it. A solitary shaft of daylight fell from centre of the cavern to a small carpet of vibrant yellow flowers, the sole remaining point of contact with the surface save the barrier itself. However, today was different, the flowers had been disturbed, the stalks were bent, petals torn and crushed, a sweet, earthy smell arising from the damaged leaves and stems. To the far side of the patch of flowers was a small heap, still and unmoving, having seemingly landed and rolled away. There was no doubt about it, another human had fallen.

Nose twitching, ears alert, the dog listened, expecting the low thrumming of a soul, the core and vitality of all living creatures. Instead, it was greeted with only silence, heavy and oppressive. Small white paws picked their way through the rubble, boulders and withered plant matter littering the floor until they arrived at the edge of the flower bed. The dog’s head tilted slightly as it appraised the broken little body before it. Letting out a small, sad whine, it pressed a wet nose to the cooling, outstretched hand. The child was dead, presumably from the fall. Their soul had shattered, however the air was still shimmering a slight purple with a faintest trace of remaining energy. Perseverance.

It was the trait of not giving up despite the odds, to be able to continue to work towards something despite previous failure. All souls had a trait that was dominant, one that outshone the rest and formed the bulk of their owner’s personality. Even now the energy appeared to cling on to reality, refusing to dissipate. The dog sighed and seemed to reach a decision.

Its mouth opened, teeth bared, pink tongue lolling, ears drawn back, and it began to cough and hack, as if choking. A shape flew from its mouth, and came to a stop just touching the fingers of the child. The dog, now quiet again, sat back on its haunches, watching the object expectantly. It looked like a black, cut-crystal heart, the sunlight glinting off its many facets. Tiny lines of a dull, blue-silvery metal sealed the edges neatly, intricate symbols etched into it, nearly too small to see.

For a few moments, nothing happened, then, movement. The swirling colour above the human seemed drawn to the little crystal heart, settling deep within it, smoky tendrils coiling through the crystal causing it to take on a purple hue. Black turned to a deep amethyst. The dog was still, staring, hoping. There was so little left of the soul, it wasn’t sure if it would it be enough. The magic seemed to die down, the colour fading. The dog whined, a canine plea to not give up. It was not expecting the answer it got.

Swirling lazily upwards from the ground around like smoke, was something... else. The dog yelped and jumped away. Growling, it paced back and forth, sniffing the air it barked at the new intrusion. The smoke, drifted towards the small animal, hovering in front of its nose briefly before it took on a red hue and began to float lazily towards the heart.  Cocking its head the dog seemed to listen; it sighed uneasily and sat back down with a huff. The little crystal heart began to swirl with colours once more, red and purple intermingling, before settling to a rich wine red. The silver and symbols on the heart glowed brightly then the whole thing disappeared.

The air seemed to ripple, a sudden, inexplicable breeze ruffled the dog’s fur as it passed onwards through the cave and further than it could be sensed. A gentle thrumming could be heard, then, a sharp gasp rang through the cave, desperate and panicked. The child’s shoulder heaved as they sat bolt upright, hands white knuckled, dug into the ground, shoulders tense, as if awaking from a nightmare. Through a tangled mass of dark hair, their eyes were unfocused and wide with terror. After a few moments they seemed to settle, their breathing slowing. Tentatively, releasing their grip on the ground, they placed a hand to their chest, a confused expression on their face. Their gaze travelled around the cavern and lingered on the sunlight shining through the ceiling before finally resting on the small dog sat beside of them with what seemed to be an incredibly smug expression on its face. Did it just wink at them? They blinked slowly, unsure of what they were seeing and it had gone. Or had it never been there? 

Shakily, the child pulled themselves to their feet, dusting down their torn clothes and pulling some petals from their hair. After one more look at the distant sun they appeared to steel themselves, and began to head towards the entrance to a tunnel leading from the cavern. They fell backwards in surprise when a large yellow flower, similar to those they had fallen on popped up in front of them, watching incredulously as it began to speak in a forced, saccharine tone.

“Howdy! I’m Flowey. Flowey the flower! You’re new to the Underground, aren’t cha?”

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, you might remember this part if you read before, I did some edits to make it slightly less uh janky imo. Also I think I'm going to stick with gender neutral pronouns for Frisk as much as I can, there's no particular reason to the story that they need to be female, it's simply my interpretation of the sprite. Feel free to yell where I made mistakes!


	3. Toriel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The child finds a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Psst hey guys, if you don't count the prologue this makes it a TWO TORIEL.
> 
> ... I'll see myself out.

Toriel

\---

How the fall hadn’t killed them Frisk didn’t know, but it seemed they were going to die anyway. Small white balls of energy surrounded them, drawing closer in what seemed like a painfully slow way. Some strange instinct had made them dodge the first two volleys of whatever was shooting at them but this time they were surrounded. Flowey, little yellow flower that had seemed so friendly at first had grown angry at their attempts to dodge and was now laughing manically at their predicament.

“In this world,” it proclaimed, “it’s kill or be killed!”

Instead of their imminent demise however, Frisk heard a yelp and Flowey, disappeared underground as a ball of white fire nearly grazed its petals. Eyes wide with fear, Frisk looked in the direction the fire had flown from and froze. If the flower had been terrifying, but the monster that chased it off was something else entirely. Having to stoop slightly in the cavern entrance the purple robed creature seemed like a giant to the child. White fur covered its entire body. Large paws peeked under the hem of its robe, that matched its clawed hands. The disapproving glare on its face directed at the Flower was fearsome, its muzzle contorted, amber eyes focused on the spot where it had disappeared, long white ears framed the sides of its face and a pair of horns curled from its fur above them. Then, to Frisk’s surprise it spoke in a soft, feminine voice.

“What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth...” The creature murmured, seemingly to itself, and glanced to Frisk, apparently noticing their expression “Oh, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of these ruins.”

After their introduction to the Underground, the amount of kindness and care Toriel had shown Frisk had shocked them nearly as much as Flowey’s deceptive looks. Once she was sure she could approach without frightening Frisk more she’d healed the multitude of grazes bumps and scratches they must have gained on their fall and then, carefully lead them through the labyrinth of eerily quiet ruins until they had arrived at her small and tidy cottage. Now Frisk sat on the edge of a luxuriously quilted bed with a plate of delicious smelling pie balanced on their knee.

There were lots of things they didn’t understand. Toriel had explained that they were in the Underground, a place where monsters lived, where they had been trapped a long time ago. They’d met a few on the way to her house, but instead of being mean like they’d worried, they were more curious about meeting Frisk, asking them where they were from, how they’d ended up in the Underground and what the surface was like. But Frisk didn’t remember how they’d got there. Anything after the fall felt just out of reach in their mind. Toriel hadn’t pressed the matter, she’d just patiently and calmly talked to them about the monsters they’d met and areas of interest. Frisk already had begun to feel close to her, her presence was soothing to the fear and confusion they were currently feeling. They wondered if they could stay with her, they’d like that, to be able to learn more about the Underground, make friends with its other citizens under her watchful eye, but no sooner had the though crossed their mind they felt a strange sensation, almost like a push. No, they couldn’t stay. They had to go on. For some reason they had to get back to the surface.

Toriel hadn’t taken their request to leave very well. Now she stood blocking their way to the exit of the ruins. Her fur glistened with tears, after a shuddering breath she readied her magic again.

“Prove to me you are strong enough!” She cried and another volley of flame nearly grazed Frisk’s shoulder. They stood their ground. Their expression determined. They refused to fight the monster that had rescued them, they wanted to turn and run, to stay with her, to be a family, yet they couldn’t fight the niggling sensation they had to go forward. They had to go through the door and into the unknown.

“Why are you doing this?” Toriel sobbed as a stray fireball hit the wall less than an inch away from them. “Just RUN AWAY.”

Frisk wouldn’t be moved however, “I need to go... I’m sorry.” They near-whispered, their quiet voice nearly drowned crackle of flames. “Please. Toriel, please just let me go.”

Their resolve nearly failed when her face crumpled and she sank to her knees. “Pathetic, is it not? I cannot even save even a single child.” Her body shook with sobs.

Frisk couldn’t bear it, they’d done this. They flung their arms around her as far as they’d go, stood on tiptoes, hugging her as hard as they could. “’m sorry,” they said into her robe. “I’m really, really sorry. Please don’t be sad, it’ll be ok. I don’t know how but I know I’ll be ok”

She stirred at their words and hugged them back, “you are a funny child, but for some reason, I believe you.”

They watched her leave, feeling sick to the stomach, and turned towards the heavy stone door into the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully this isn't too boring, as I said I want to give our cast an introduction they deserve as well as sprinkle just a hint of plot in there.


	4. Snow and Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No, that's not right at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look some... individual left his car alarm going for 30 minutes this morning. Welp have another chapter early I guess?

Snow and Dust

\---

The door opened noiselessly into a world of black and white. Nothing mattered apart from the dust. There wasn’t enough. It that coiled around the feet of the child. It rose to the air at a slightest of movement, glittering and hanging in the air like a lazy smog, coating anything it touched. The child was covered in it. It clung to their hair and skin, buried itself under their nails and pooled in folds of their worn clothes. It was beautiful. Somewhere deeply hidden, something recoiled in horror, struggling against what was happening, desperately fighting, to break down and run, cry, hide. To apologize to the empty room until they were hoarse. It refused. The cold air rushing through the opening did little else than stir up more from the pile that lay behind them into the air, well, that and start to freeze the tears that tracked down their face, unchecked.

They shambled through the entranceway of the mighty stone doors and out into the snow before them. If they were surprised, they showed no reaction to the drastic change of scenery from the ruins. A toy knife was clutched, white knuckled in one hand, yet seemed to glint in the harsh light of the surrounding snow. They were on an uneven, icy path in what appeared to be the middle of a thick forest. Thick drifts of powder snow lined the path. Icicles hung from the boughs of giant trees, and high above yet more ice glinted, stalactites rivaling the size of the great pines hung from the ceiling of the vast cavern, hovering orbs of light studding its ceiling. Apart from the distant rushing of water, the forest was eerily quiet, as if holding its breath in anticipation.

As the child continued its strange gait through the snow there was stillness, no birds chirped, no animals called, not even the trees rustled. Only their uneven steps punctuated the quiet as they passed over a large fallen branch that crossed the road. The resounding crack that echoed once they were a distance away from the branch stirred them not. Not even the sound of heavyset footsteps mirroring their own changed their dogged uneven pace. Until they arrived at the bridge. Once they had crossed the threshold to the swept planks, their movement stopped so suddenly it was if they’d been frozen in place. They remained motionless as the figure drew closer and closer, until they were mere inches away.

A deep, hollow, voice resonated from their follower “ **H U M A N. Don’t you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand.** ”

If it was possible, the child’s dusty grip tightened on the knife in their hand as they spun to face the speaker.

Frisk dropped the stick, staring at their trembling hands in horror. They were clean, a few hairline scars remaining from where healing magic had been so effective. Right before they… No. No that hadn’t happened. Toriel… everyone in the ruins. They couldn’t have. They stared down at the weapon that lay before them. A stick, not a knife. Why would they ever pick up a knife? Their knees turned to jelly, why could they remember something they didn’t do. Mind racing, they tried to backtrack their thoughts. There were creatures in the ruins that had tried to fight them, but they’d refused to even attack, Toriel had laughed as they’d awkwardly tried to compliment a froggit, then glared at the poor monster till it had fled. Had they really killed her?

The sound of throat being cleared snapped them back to reality.

“uh, i'm sorry if i spooked you there a bit buddy but you’ve been staring at the ground for the last five minutes. i'm a pretty down to earth guy and all but frankly, i'd be chilled to the bone _if_ the cold didn’t go right through me.” A voice rumbled.

They stared upwards at the skeleton they’d been ignoring. He (judging by the voice) was only a few inches than them, dressed in faded blue hoodie covering his somehow heavy looking frame. For a skeleton, he looked about the least threatening he could. His hand was still outstretched towards them. Existential crisis briefly sidetracked, Frisk wondered if they should be afraid or if would be just rude to ask the skeleton how he’d cleared his utter lack of throat. Instead, they opted to take his hand.

PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTPPPPPPPPRTTTT

The noise echoed through the quiet cavern for what appeared to be an eternity. Absolutely awestruck their gaze flickered to the small item that was taped to the skeleton’s hand. Then back to his grinning face. In the sockets of his skull danced tiny white lights focused back on Frisk. A few more moments of silence passed. They couldn’t take it.

“Heh…. Ahah… ahahahahahahaa” They gasped for breath, and sunk to the snow, their shoulders shaking. Tears streamed down their face, truthfully, Frisk was unsure if they were laughing or crying. After everything they’d experienced that day, and even with Toriel’s careful tuition in the ruins, they had no idea how to deal with a skeleton that found puns and fart noises a good way to introduce themselves. Finally, they had regained enough composure to look back up at the monster that stood before them, whose grin had possibly grown wider and took the again offered hand that mysteriously showed no traces of duct tape or whoopee cushions.

The skeleton whistled through his teeth. “whoa, never had an audience like that before.”

He pulled them gently to their feet, brushing the snow off their torn sweater, “the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick, it’s ALWAYS funny.” they appraised the still slightly hysterical child in front of them for a moment before continuing, “anyways, you’re a human, right? i’m sans. sans the skeleton.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might have overdone it on the jokes but they are pundamental part of Sans's character. 
> 
> And yes, I totally believe he'd have just stood there for 5 minutes. He'd probably fall asleep.
> 
> I have a big old assignment due this week and cause I'm a highly mature and organised person (best joke in the entire fic), that might delay the next chapter or two.


	5. Bonetrousled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We'll never know why the lamp was placed there in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Todays chapter is sponsored by ~PROCRASTINATION~ and flu meds.

“sup bro” Sans drawled, hands in his pockets, his permanent grin seeming slightly wider than earlier.

“YOU KNOW WHAT’S “SUP”, BROTHER. IT’S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN’T RECALIBRATED YOUR PUZZLES!” The nasally voice boomed.

Puzzles? From their position behind a conveniently placed lamp. Frisk couldn’t help but stifle a giggle Papyrus, who Sans had briefly explained was his “cool brother” was now berating him for being lazy. They seemed polar opposites of each other (maybe they’d save that pun for later). Where Sans was short and stocky, Papyrus was nearly as tall as Toriel had been, and much thinner. Even their skulls were opposites with San’s large sockets, round face and seemingly fused, permanently smiling jaw, Papyrus looked much closer to that of a normal skull, if more animated. The taller skeleton was wearing some sort of armour, what appeared to be hotpants and a long red scarf. Apparently skeleton monsters didn’t feel the cold. Frisk shivered on his behalf and wrapped their arms around themselves. It felt like it had gotten colder, they tried to pull their sweater down to cover their knees but it wouldn’t reach. Strange. Had it shrunk in the snow? They’d never remembered it being quite so small on them, or quite so tattered looking. In front of them the two skeletons continued to bicker.

Sans had mentioned his brother was a human hunting fanatic, before pushing them behind the lamp and winking (without any eyelids), telling them to “hide” there. From what they’d seen so far, Frisk was having a pretty hard time imagining either of the monsters actually being a threat. Peeking from their obvious yet somehow unnoticed hiding place, they watched as the shorter skeleton stood, trying not to laugh as he answered his brother’s cajoling with puns. Frisk didn’t know why but for some reason it felt so familiar, so right. Finally, unable to take any more of Sans’ relentless jokes, Papyrus had stormed off. Emerging from the behind the lamp, they glanced at the shorter skeleton who just motioned them to continue along the path, then pretending to lean against nothing, shut his eye… sockets? and seemed to fall asleep.

Skeletons were weird, Frisk thought, even in comparison to the other monsters they’d met. With a little sigh and some shuffling of their feet to regain some feeling, they began to head further up the path, past an unmanned sentry shack littered with brightly coloured bottles. They hadn’t got far when they heard Sans’ voice calling behind them,

“actually, hey…”

They turned and blinked in surprise. He was directly front of them again, even though they’d heard no footsteps and only their prints trailed back to the lamp in the snow. Ok. Skeletons were really weird.

“hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favour? i was thinking, my brother’s been kinda down lately. he's never seen a human before. ~~so y’know it’d really help me out if you kept pretending to be one~~ _.”_

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Frisk asked in confusion, somewhat shocked at the menacing tone in Sans’ voice. The colour seemed to waver in the air again, their hand felt heavy. Was it getting misty? The unease in the pit of their stomach made them feel something wasn’t right. Sans studied at them for a moment before breaking the silence.  

“i said, he’s never seen a human before… and seeing you might make his day?” He tilted his head, then seemed to understand, “oh don’t worry, he’s not dangerous, even if he tries to be.”

Frisk nodded uneasily, slightly concerned about what they were agreeing to. Being captured didn’t seem a great idea but they also felt like they already didn’t want to disappoint the pair of monsters. Something seemed to stir on the edge of their memory, remaining elusively just out of reach. It felt… sad. Maybe they’d known people like them before they fell. They wondered if they could even miss people they didn’t remember. If they did get back to the surface how would they even know? Were there people looking for them? It was a sobering thought. It hadn’t really crossed their mind up until that point. Maybe they had a family.    

“you sure zone out a bunch, don’tcha?” Sans interrupted their thoughts once again, “pers’nally i prefer actual snoozing to _daydreaming_ but each to their own. anyway. thanks a million, kid. i'll be up ahead” he said, and with that, he turned and walked back the way they’d came. In the direction of the ruins. Frisk watched him leave. His footsteps faded. The forested clearing settled back into silence. It seemed empty without the skeletons, feeling more than a little lonely, they turned and pressed onwards.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean if I could manipulate space I'd probably use it to fall asleep standing up too. 
> 
> Hmmn, smaller chunks are definitely easier to write in. Hopefully it's not making the pacing feel too slow. 
> 
> Next time, dogs! puzzles! more snow! heavy petting!


	6. An Ice Diversion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which our protagonist gets lost.

They weren't sure how long they’d spent traipsing through the forest after the skeletons had left but the paths had forked and then turned and twisted, seeming to get harder and harder to make out between the deepening snow banks. They were confused by the things they’d been seeing and hearing that both seemed to be there but... weren’t. It had been troubling and by the time they’d noticed they’d left the path, a thick carpet of pine needles crunching under their feet, they’d been unable to see it from where they stood amongst the thick trunks of the trees.

_Great_. Frisk thought, shivering from both the cold and worry. They were not eager to wander mindlessly but also were feeling unable to stay still. They still had a strange insatiable urge to press on but they had no idea how... or where. Sighing, they picked a random direction roughly behind them and began to pick their way back. Somehow they’d eventually broken through the tree line back into the snow and ended up at sheer bank of a large fast-flowing river. In the distance they could hear a waterfall roaring. Large chunks of ice sped past on their trip downstream. With only more forest the other side of the river and no sign of a bridge, this had to be the wrong way. Frisk had turned with a dejected sigh, walking right into the little monster that had curiously approached them, knocking them to the ground with a squeak.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry!” Frisk exclaimed, studying and scrambled to pick up the hat they’d knocked out of the creature’s arms, thankful the delicate looking ice hadn’t broken. “I didn’t see you there. You’re ok right?” The outstretched a hand to help the monster back to its feet.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Hands off my hat!” Snapped the monster impatiently, replacing the hat on its head with stubby arms. It spent some time adjusting the icy crown and dusting itself off then glared up at them with suspicion.

Frisk sighed, apparently having broken some kind of monster taboo. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I’m just lost. I could really do with some help with directions, please. I have no idea where I am.”

“You didn’t want to steal my hat? It’s great you know!” It said, suddenly seeming unsure of itself.  

“No, no! Really I’m just lost. I’m uh... new here?” The creature seemed disappointed almost, so Frisk quickly added, “though I love your hat! It’s really _cool,_ just like you _._ ” waggling their eyebrows for emphasis. The monsters pale face flushed a bluish green. Oh. Frisk held back a giggle. Puns weren’t a universal monster thing then. Maybe flirting hadn’t been the best action either, but at least it had broken the hostile atmosphere. Looking a little defeated, the ice elemental had agreed to walk with them back to the correct path.

It hadn’t been long before they’d relaxed and were chatting about the nearby town of Snowdin, how there was nothing to do there but eventually they wanted to start a line of ice-based fashion and how this was the perfect place for them to try before they went to the big city. They’d been out gathering materials for a new idea. Though unable to conceal a smile at the little monster’s enthusiasm, Frisk had kept relatively quiet during the walk, listening politely for the most part and asking the occasional question about the town. The Ice Cap had presumed they were simply new to the area from one of the other settlements Underground. They hadn’t lied, by agreeing... exactly. After Toriel, Sans and Papyrus mentioning that humans were to be hunted and captured it seemed better to just let other monsters presume they were one of them.

“Ah, here we are!” the Ice Cap announced proudly as a familiar crossroads came into view and the sound of two familiar voices filled the air. As they drew nearer the pair of skeletons came into view, waiting besides a crossroad the taller brother talking animatedly.

“AND THEN UNDYNE WAS TELLING ME THAT THERE ARE OTHER TYPES OF PASTA AS WELL AS SPHAGETTI AND PROMISED THAT NEXT TIME WE’D TRY SOMETHING ELSE...” boomed the apparently endlessly enthusiastic voice of Papyrus.

“wow bro. think of the endless _pastabilities.”_ Sans interrupted, causing the other skeleton to shriek in outrage. Frisk could nearly hear the smirk in his voice as they sped up to greet them, grabbing their new friends arm and pulling them with them. They had promised to meet Papyrus after all.

“OH MY GOD SANS. WILL YOU STOP IT WITH YOUR INSUFFERABLE PUNS ALREADY!” The tall skeleton looked on the verge of tears.

“Sans! ...Hey!” They said, finally drawing close enough for their quieter voice to carry. The brothers turned to meet them. Sans, raising a bony brow in question at the monster Frisk was pulling alongside them, then seemingly satisfied, settled back into the tree he was leaning against.

“hey kiddo. thought you were giving us the _cold_ _shoulder_ there for a bit.” He drawled, “figure we’d better come find you.”

“Sorry, I uh, got lost. But I made a new friend that helped me.” Frisk beamed and gestured to Ice Cap who shuffled awkwardly at the attention and muttered a “Hi.” with a shrug.

“SANS... IS THAT A HUMAN?” Papyrus asked, staring from Sans to Ice Cap to Frisk.

“actually, i think that’s an ice cap.” Sans replied, his grin widening slightly.

“OH.” Papyrus seemed to wilt in disappointment, Frisk was about to say something when Sans interrupted.

“hey. what’s that beside the ice cap?” Sans asked.

“OH MY GOD!” Papyrus exclaimed, as if seeing Frisk for the first time. He pulled his brother to the side and leaned towards him, whispering at a level that was still louder than most people’s normal voices “Is... Is That A Human?”

“yep.” Sans replied, nonchalantly, not bothering to whisper. Frisk was beginning to wonder who was enjoying “meeting this human” more, him or his brother as so far it had seemed just more opportunities for him to make terrible jokes.

“SANS I FINALLY DID IT! UNDYNE WILL... I’M GONNA... I’LL BE SO POPULAR!”

Frisk couldn’t help it, they burst into giggles. The taller skeleton had literal stars in his eyes and was shaking with excitement. Sans grin was somehow wider than ever. They turned to their new friend, to see if they were as amused and they’d... gone. Oh. Their face fell. Were humans _that_ feared down here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I lied. No dogs. Next chapter will contain dogs. Probably. DOGS SOON. Idk, pacing at 800-1kish words a chapter is weird to me still. 
> 
> Little bit of fluff, little bit of plot, little bit of world building. Part of me is itching to expand and combine a few chapters to add in more detail and plot but also don't want to ramble on about a story most people already are familiar with. Ugh. Depending on how tired I am tonight when I get in from work I might put another chapter up. I'm in a writing-y mood atm so it's probably more productive than procrastinating on coursework. 
> 
> Also I think I mentioned before, I'm trying to write this from a gender neutral perspective but I'm probably bound to slip up eventually, please yell at me if I do! Or if you see anything else. I read these through a few times before posting but I'm terrible at spotting my own mistakes.
> 
> Thanks for reading and the kudos and stuff! 
> 
> Feel free to ask anything in comments or chat or whatever, feedback's always welcome. :)


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